As U.S. President Donald Trump released that a delegation will go to Pakistan on the 20th (local time) to negotiate with Iran, news emerged that Iran first demanded the lifting of the U.S. maritime blockade.
Tasnim News, which represents Iran's military and hard-liners, cited an internal source on the 19th as saying, "Iran has not decided to dispatch a negotiating delegation at this time," and, "There will be no talks as long as the (U.S.) maritime blockade continues." The source said, "After the first round of talks between Iran and the United States ended, the two sides have continued to exchange messages in recent days through Pakistan's mediation."
The source added, "This kind of message exchange is essentially an extension of the procedures conducted during the first round of talks," noting, "It is the very process that ultimately led to a breakdown in negotiations due to the United States' excessive demands and ambitions."
The source continued, "After these negotiations ended, Pakistan very recently conveyed messages again," and, "The Iranian negotiating team emphasized to Pakistan, 'As long as there is a maritime blockade of Iran declared by Trump, there will be no talks.'"
Fars News Agency, a conservative hard-line outlet in Iran, quoted an internal Iranian source as saying, "Iran has not yet decided whether to attend a second round of talks," adding, "The overall mood cannot be assessed as very positive." Another source told the outlet, "As long as the United States maintains the maritime blockade, Iran will not consider a second round of talks."